Like the rest of the systems on automotive vehicles, a suspension system performs a complicated function. The suspension system keeps the wheels of the automotive vehicle lined up with the travel of the automotive vehicle, limits the movement of the body of the automotive vehicle during cornering and when going over bumps, and provides a smooth and comfortable ride for passengers and drivers. Numerous suspension systems are known in the art. A short-long arm (SLA) suspension system has been common on domestic vehicles for many years. In the SLA system, each wheel is independently connected to a frame of the vehicle by a steering knuckle, ball joint assemblies, and upper and lower control arms.
A double-wishbone suspension system presents numerous components such as a frame of the vehicle, a lower arm, an upper arm, a hub for supporting a wheel assembly, and a damper. The upper and lower control arms function as locators to fix a position of the suspension system and its components relative to the automotive vehicle and are attached to the frame with bushings that permit the wheel assemblies to move up and down separately in response to irregularities in the road surface.
The prior art is replete with various suspension systems having at least one yoke or linking element for interconnecting a shock absorber mounted between the vehicle body and a lower arm. These systems are taught by the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,377,298 to Finn et al.; 4,583,759 to Kami et al.; and 5,375,870 to Smith et al. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,377,298 to Finn et al., for example, disclose a vehicle wheel suspension having a shock absorber mounted between the vehicle body and a lower arm. A clevis or yoke portion formed from a pair of legs and formed from a reverse bend doubled sheet metal form, connected to a neck portion or collar to engage the shock absorber. The clevis taught by the U.S. Pat. No. 4,377,298 to Finn et al., fails to teach or suggest a reinforcing structure defined in the clevis and requires a plurality of members to form the clevis.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,759 to Kami et al., for example, teaches an upper suspension arm support structure having a shock absorber mounted between the vehicle body and a lower arm. The clevis is forged from a metal and has a neck portion to engage the shock absorber and a pair of legs extending to the respective distal ends and connected to the lower arm by a fastener. The clevis of the U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,759 to Kami et al. fails to teach or suggest a reinforcing structure defined in the clevis and requires a plurality of members to form the clevis. Moreover, the clevis of the U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,759 to Kami et al., is forged from a metal thereby negatively impacting the overall weight of the system.
Therefore, an opportunity exists for an improved suspension system and method of manufacturing the same that will reduce the mass of the clevis thereby reducing the effect of vibrations and the resulting noises, add structural integrity to the suspension system, and increase performance of drive line applications at a low cost and a high volume.